The annual Coachella Music Festival has become one of the largest music gatherings in the world, gathering nearly 120,000 fans to see more than 150 works covering every genre of music imaginable. But one constant throughout this year’s three-day event, which runs on two consecutive weekends – and featured Harry Styles, Billie Eilish and the Swede House Mafia with the Weeknd as main performances – was the apparent popularity of Fender’s guitars.
Gearheads were the first to notice From Fender’s market penetration at the festival, with some of the reasons the brand is a favorite of indie rock bands, which have usually been a big draw for Coachella crowds. But as many media outlets have noted, in this year’s lineup — after multiple delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic — guitar-based bands have been lower on the bill. Indeed, where the main stage was once home to the likes of Radiohead, Paul McCartney, AC/DC, and Red Hot Chili Peppers – the 2022 edition saw a host of Latin and R&B acts, including Anitta, Carol G and Daniel Kaiser.
On the outdoor stage there were artists often associated with guitars, such as Phoebe Bridgers and Phineas, and in the tents there were Italian rockers Manskin, Japanese breakfast, and die-hard newcomers – all but Bridgers, who rocked B.C. Rich Warlock, Fender Worshipers.
This is no accident. While Fender has long been favored by older musicians – Bruce Springsteen and Eric Clapton come to mind – the company has made great efforts and gains to attract not just a younger, but female audience. Among the company’s software is Fender Play, an all-in-one learning platform for guitar, bass and ukulele with Extensive library of songs To play along, from the Rolling Stones to Green Day to Billie Eilish. Fender recently launched an online beginners center, which helps aspiring musicians with tips, tools, apps, and advice on everything from choosing your first guitar to playing your first instrumental. Meanwhile, Fender Custom is working with brands and artists such as Hot Wheels and Shawn Mendes.
Literally rock-solid women also hold the Fender banner as the guitarist has released models with the likes of HER, Japanese Breakfast, and Chrissie Hynde. And in September, the company teamed up with Mattel for Barbie’s signature collection of dolls, songs, and lessons.
“Fender’s presence on stage has been explosive, the culmination of years of supporting the next generation of artists and listening to the needs of fans and the players who support them,” said Matt Watts, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Fender, noting that no fewer than 26 acts have been performed in Coachella – including Yola, Holly Humberstone, and Girl in Red – used their own guitars. “Whether they are first-time learners or festival goers, Fender is built on the premise of putting artists and players first. … We have always drawn inspiration from the direction our music and guitar are heading, and we are particularly excited to support so many diverse artists.”
The inspiration has a lot to do with the choice of certain musicians to play Fender. Maneskin’s Thomas Raggi, for example, responded to the recall of the Fender Strat, the newer Relic Custom Shop model that debuted at the last NAMM convention and repeated the classic specs of the 1970s—because it reawakened the memory.
“I saw this guitar Strat outside a music store with my dad when I was eight,” he says. diverse. “I don’t know, it was, like, love because the shape of the guitar is so iconic. I grew up with Jimi Hendrix, and after I started playing with Fender, it felt really comfortable on your body. Now it’s basically my main guitar.”
Turnstile’s Pat McCrory, who plays the “Modified 75th Anniversary Telecaster,” also recalls the model’s appeal in his youth. “I loved TV transmitters when I was a little kid because Keith Richards, Muddy Waters, Jeff Buckley and Brad Paisley [played them]. … Tele can do anything.”
Similarly, Karol G.’s guitarist Susana Vasquez noted the instrument’s resonant sound. The modified Fender Telecaster calls her “my partner in crime,” adding, “Her diversity and tone help me focus my performance on being fully in the moment.”
Eyedress (Idris Vicuña) also used the fender at his first Coachella festival. “They are always reliable and stay in tune,” he says of Tom Morello’s Sweaters, adding that playing an outdoor festival in the desert can wreak havoc on your instruments.
McCrory offers “I am a man who feels first.” “You can find some solutions to get the tone you want, but feel the texture.”
What does this mean for other guitar companies, such as Gibson, Ibanez, and Epiphone? Mostly good news. In 2020, gadget makers have seen an epidemic-driven increase in sales of products that show little sign of abating. According to a study conducted by Grand View Research in December 2021, the global market for electric guitars was valued at $3.62 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 7.3% from 2021 to 2028, with North America second only to Asia. The Pacific is in the areas with the largest number of guitarists. Among the factors that contributed to this expansion, “increased musical enthusiasm among millennials” and “the increasing number of live concerts” were major factors, says the report.
All this does not mean that the Stagecoach Festival will be repeated next weekend, on the same polo grounds in Indio, California where Coachella is being held. Fans can certainly expect to see more of the Gibsons and other makers of the country musical extravaganza led by Carrie Underwood, Luke Combs and Thomas Rhett.
“Gibson is also amazing,” Maneskin’s Raji says diplomatically. “For slow poems and songs.”
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